No player in the NFL has been more critical to his team's production this season than Adrian Peterson has to the Vikings. The running back has 1,107 yards from scrimmage in nine games -- 36.8 percent of the Vikings' total yards.

But even Peterson, who rushed for 182 yards but had only five carries in the second half of the 30-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 4, admitted the Vikings need to do more in the passing game.

"It's a little frustrating," he said after the game. "You just see what you can do and see how you can improve and go from there. That's going to be our focus point: establish the run and try to be more productive in the pass game. It's obvious we didn't have a big game passing. But we'll work on it."

The problem this week could be that the Vikings have few options other than to hand Peterson the ball to see if he can keep beating defenses focused on stopping him. Receiver Percy Harvin, who has accounted for 25.7 percent of the Vikings' yards, is doubtful for Sunday's game with a sprained left ankle.

"It might be a blessing in disguise (if Harvin is out)," Peterson said. "Guys are going to have to step up, so when (quarterback) Christian (Ponder) drops back, his eyes will really be going around and seeing who's open. Hopefully, it's a blessing in disguise and we get things going."

The Vikings have been restrained in how much they've used Peterson as he returns from reconstructive knee surgery and recovers from an ankle sprain that has bothered him for a month.

Advertisement

He has carried more than 20 times in three games this season, and since Leslie Frazier took over as coach, Peterson has logged 20 or more carries in just nine of the 26 games he's played.

But he is being asked to work harder and harder for his yards each week. He got 126 of his 182 after contact against Seattle, and nearly three-quarters of his 123 yards came after contact on Oct. 25 against Tampa Bay.

"My body feels great," he said. "My body normally recovers pretty well. I push my body to a limit during the offseason, so I can endure a lot."

Even though Peterson shrugs off the toll of his workload, there's little question the Vikings need to help him. They've had little success using him to set up play-action passes, and as opponents blitz to stop Peterson, they've also had more success getting to Ponder, who has been sacked 14 times in the Vikings' past four games.

And then there's this: Peterson has carried the ball fewer times -- and averaged fewer yards per carry -- in the fourth quarter than in any other quarter this year. The Vikings have been forced to rally late in three of their past four games, rather than maximizing his effectiveness by using him to salt away games against tired defenses.

Last Sunday, Peterson ran the ball only five times in the second half.

"It got to a point where it was a two-score game, so all of a sudden, you've taken your greatest weapon and put us in a bad spot," Frazier said.

With Harvin likely out Sunday, the Vikings could have even more trouble keeping the Lions' focus off Peterson. They could try again to incorporate tight end John Carlson into the offense as he returns from a concussion, and rookie Jarius Wright will be active for the first time.

If those options don't work, and if Ponder can't connect with other receivers, the Vikings could find themselves in the same situation they've encountered too often recently: relying on Peterson until they can't keep the game close anymore.

"Obviously we're committed to running the football," center John Sullivan said. "We're going to do that in every game we play. Theoretically, it should open up the pass game. That hasn't been happening. Our focus this week is trying to get the pass game going while continuing to do what we've been doing in the run game."